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He was hospitalized in Mississippi. Can you still vote?
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He was hospitalized in Mississippi. Can you still vote?


Brain surgery scheduled for Election Day, but Mississippi patient focused on voting

Nancy Oliver fell at her home in Hazlehurst on Thursday.

He was taken to the Copiah County hospital complaining of headaches and other problems. After many tests, including computed tomography scans, doctors found a mass in his brain and took him to St. Louis in Jackson. They sent it to Dominic. The diagnosis on Saturday morning was that he had lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain.

Oliver, 72, faces brain surgery on Tuesday.

But the No. 1 thing on Oliver’s mind is Tuesday’s presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald J. Trump and the fact that he won’t be able to vote.

His case highlights a flaw in the Mississippi election process. If you don’t know you’ll be hospitalized and can’t request a ballot in advance, how do you cast your ballot? The in-person deadline to request an absentee ballot was Nov. 2.

Oliver, who said he never missed a chance to vote, never had the opportunity to apply for an absentee ballot, so there was nothing he could do. Likewise, none of his family, who raced from across the country to be with him, will be able to vote Tuesday.

“So a medical emergency means the patient and all their loved ones are denied the chance to vote,” said Nina Strother, Oliver’s daughter. “This stinks.”

Oliver believes this is an important election and cares about the right to vote, and has made numerous phone calls to find a solution. Unfortunately nothing available at this late date.

there is in mississippi Some provisions that will helpbut for Oliver, at this point he would have to vote in person in his precinct on Tuesday. This will be out of the question as he will have surgery first thing on Tuesday.

Oliver on Monday in St. “This presidential election is the most important election ever. I can’t be there. There must be something people can do,” Dominic said from his hospital bed. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who are faced with these last-minute emergencies. There’s not enough time to vote absentee or go to vote, and that needs to change. This needs to be easier.” “People in the hospital and their families coming from out of town should have the opportunity to vote for who they think should be in office.”

Oliver contacted the election commissioner in Copiah County to no avail.

“He said I should contact my legislator or senator to get this law changed,” he said. “But this (Tuesday) is of no use to me here. I have always voted and I want to continue exercising my right to vote.”

His advice to those who will go to vote tomorrow, especially young people, is: “They need to do their homework.” he said.

“They need to know what their background is so they know who to vote for,” he said. “This is very important. If they let me watch (the flashbacks) from the ICU, I will.”

Ross Reily He can be reached via email at [email protected] or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1..